Love is a four-letter word
by MissBookworm1704
Summary: Remus can't help but fall for the mischievous pink-haired Auror that hangs around 12 Grimmauld Place all the time. Set in OoTP. Written for the Houses Competition


**Written for the Houses Competition, Year 2, Round 9.**

 **House: Hufflepuff**

 **Year: Prefect 1 (Stand-in)  
**

 **Category: Themed-** **Love (Romantic) and/or Feeling loved (in any way)**

 **Prompt: [** **Speech] "I have half a mind to puke on you right now."**

 **Word Count: 2,173**

* * *

Remus sighed as he watched Tonks try to balance a grape on her nose, but somehow ending up with the tips of her hair singed as the grape exploded. Sirius let out a loud laugh, indicating that he was the one that made the grape explode.

It was just the three of them staying at 12 Grimmauld Place, and the trio were bored. At least Sirius and Tonks were. Remus was entertaining himself by watching the antics the two got into.

At least, that's what he was trying to make himself believe. Honestly, he was just as bored as they were. There was nothing really to do around this mouldy old house except listen to Kreacher moan and Mrs. Black scream, both always speaking about how they were blood traitors.

He decided to just sit by the fire with a book, leaving the two troublemakers to mess around. He made his way to the drawing room. Stepping into the room, he knew it was once exquisite, but years of abandonment have almost entirely ruined the former glory of the room. He sat down at one of the mould-free armchairs, pulled out a book, cast a simple _Incendio_ at the fireplace, and started reading.

It didn't take long for him to be distracted from his reading though. As just a few minutes into his book, he heard a loud crash, followed by Tonks yelling out Sirius's name and cursing rather loudly. He hesitantly put his book down and made his way to the source of the noise, which was the kitchen. That's where he found half of the Black family's fine china engraved with the family crest on the floor, smashed to pieces, and on top of the china was Tonks, who was half buried in the mess that she must've tripped over. Remus offered Tonks his hand, which she took with a slight blush to her cheeks and pulled her out of the mess. Sirius stood off in the distance, laughing.

"Care to tell me what happened?" Remus asked his friend.

"Genius here decided it would be a clever idea to send all the dishes onto the floor in front of me to trip over." Tonks snapped. Sirius smirked.

"I was just having a little fun with ickle little Nymmy here." Sirius said. Tonks suddenly charged towards Sirius, hair turning a vibrant shade of red and expression of pure anger. At this moment, Remus noticed just how cute Tonks was when she was mad.

"Shouldn't've said that, Padfoot." Remus sighed. Sirius's expression suddenly changed from one of amusement to one of actual fear as Tonks sent hex after hex towards him. She cast a powerful _Furnunculus_ at Sirius, hitting him straight in the face and covering him all over in huge boils. Sirius felt his face, and, after feeling the size and abundance of pimples on his face, ran straight for the nearest bathroom, probably to see how bad Tonks got him.

With Sirius absent, it left just the two of them alone. Tonks smiled at him, hair turning back to its normal bubble-gum pink state. She swayed out of the room as Remus watched her leave. There was something about that girl, but he always kept trying to stop himself from falling for her. He was too old, too weak, among other reasons, for her. She deserved better, but sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way.

As he heard Sirius curse Tonks's name (This time deciding it would be better for him to call her by her last name) and scramble around, most likely looking for a Boil-Cure Potion, He decided as he was no longer needed (As if he was needed in the first place) He decided to clean up the mess and return reading.

"Sirius, what do you want me to do with this china?" He yelled.

"Burn it. Good riddance, I say." Sirius hollered back. Remus rolled his eyes and Vanished it instead, so he didn't risk accidently burning down the Order's headquarters because of Sirius's hatred of his family. He made sure that there was no additional damage done to the room before heading back to the drawing room. As he entered the room, he saw Tonks staring at the tapestry of the Black family tree donning the walls, her fingers brushing over a burnt spot on the wall with the name "Andromeda" below it.

He leaned against the doorframe, watching the woman fondly. Before she could notice though, he moved over to her and stood beside her, observing the tapestry along with her.

"You know what we could do? To have a little fun?" Tonks smirked up at him, then walked out of the room with a "Be right back!". Remus smiled to himself as he noticed Sirius, who had obviously found the potion, come up to him.

"What did she say we were doing, Moony?" Sirius asked.

"I don't have a clue." Remus sighed.

Tonks returned carrying a pile of coloured sticks of sort, dropping them onto the table.

"Muggle markers! My dad would buy them for me to play with when I was younger." Tonks exclaimed.

"And what are we to do with these?" Sirius asked.

"We can vandalize the family tree with them! See, Sirius, the colour of the marker outside is the colour it will leave behind. You take off the cap and draw with it as you would a quill." Tonks said, demonstrating as she took off the cap of a black marker and drew a pair of glasses and a mustache on Sirius's mum's picture on the tapestry. Padfoot's eyes lit up. He grabbed a red one and drew devil horns and a tail on Bellatrix Lestrange's picture.

"Ooh! I want to do the Malfoy boy!" Tonks exclaimed, grabbing a pink marker and taking it to where it said "Draco Malfoy" on the tapestry. "Take that, cousin!" She giggled.

Pretty soon, the whole wall was covered in vandalized versions of the images, and the trio were rolling on the floor with laughter.

"You know we'll have to clean this all up?" Tonks said, gasping for air.

"Yeah, I know. This was more fun than I've had in a long time, but we know that Molly would have a freak out next time she's here if she sees all this. It's almost dinnertime, how about I go make us dinner, as Merlin forbid that damned house elf do anything other than hate us and mourn my parents constantly, and you guys clean up?" Sirius said. Remus and Tonks both nodded. Sirius got up to leave the room, sneaking a wink at Remus when Tonks wasn't looking.

The two sat on the floor in silence for a minute, before Tonks got up and Remus followed.

"I'll go get my wand, I must have left it in the kitchen." Tonks said, and left the room again, only to return a minute later with her wand.

" _Scourgify"_ Tonks said, and all the marker residue disappeared. She plopped down on the cleanest couch in the room and motioned for Remus to sit beside her. He obliged, and the two sat in awkward silence. Remus was sure he never felt so, _giddy_ before. His arm brushed against hers, and she giggled softly.

Merlin, she had the world's cutest giggle.

That gave him an idea.

"Did that tickle?" He asked. She nodded, blushing. He started tickling her arm.

"Remus, stop! That- that" She tittered.

He moved his hands to both her armpits and tickled her even more roughly. He must've hit one of her really ticklish spots, because she was almost breathless from laughing. He moved to her stomach, where she absolutely lost it. She was kicking and yelling at him to stop through all the chuckles.

"I hate you so much, Lupin!" She said between chortles. He kept tickling her. She reached for her wand and cast a _Stupefy_ on him to make him stop. Luckily, the spell wasn't very powerful, as he came to in a matter of moments. He returned to the couch, where Tonks looked at him with disgust.

"I have half a mind to puke on you right now." Tonks sneered.

"But do you really?" He smirked.

"Are you flirting with me?" Tonks smiled.

"Perhaps."

"Oh my, I never thought that Remus Lupin was capable of pulling off such antics!" Tonks grinned.

"Shut up." Remus smiled.

"But do you really want me to?" Tonks smirked.

"Maybe this will answer that…" Remus said, pulling in close so Tonks and him where mere centimetres apart. He almost kissed her.

Almost.

He didn't firstly because Sirius called dinner.

Secondly because he just couldn't. He was falling for her, whether he liked it or not, but he doesn't deserve her. He's a monster. There's nothing he could change about that.

The two blushed as they quickly moved away from each other and practically ran downstairs.

Dinner was surprisingly enjoyable. There wasn't an ounce of tension between him and Tonks, although he was sure Tonks was upset about them not meeting in the middle.

After dinner, Tonks quickly excused herself and went up to bed, while Remus and Sirius stayed downstairs, but Sirius soon went up to feed Buckbeak. That left Remus all alone in the drawing room to read the book he's longed to read all day, but he couldn't focus. He felt horrible about not kissing Tonks and hurting her, overjoyed that she feels the same way, and guilty for falling for her like this, with the way he is, all at the same time.

He decided its best for him to go to bed and sleep on it and got up and headed for his bedroom. He quickly undressed and dressed in his sleeping attire, and, thanking the stars it wasn't a full moon, slid under the covers.

He tossed and turned for hours, trying to go to sleep, but it was a far-off goal. He tried everything to help him go to sleep; count Hippogriffs, deep breathing, everything.

Maybe all he needed was a glass of warm milk.

Yes, that was it.

He pulled the covers off him and slipped on his bathrobe. He crept down to the kitchen, careful not to wake anyone up.

He slipped silently into the kitchen, and didn't notice Tonks sitting at the table, drinking her own warm milk sadly.

"Remus?" He turned his head in shock and saw the girl he had fallen head over heels for. They were alone in the same room once again.

"Oh, Tonks, sorry, am I bothering you? I can go back." Remus stuttered.

"No, its fine. I was getting a little lonely anyways." She sighed. He poured himself a glass of milk and applied a Warming Charm to it. Once it was warm, he took it and sat down at the table next to her.

"Hi" was all she said.

"Hi" He replied. They sat in silence even more, until Remus couldn't handle it anymore.

"Tonks?" He said. She looked at him.

"I, well, I can't really explain it- "He started.

"I like you too." She interrupted. He smiled wider than ever before at those words, but it quickly faded.

"As much as I like you, Tonks, we can't be together. I'm too weak for you. I'm too old. I'm a monster." He said sadly. She put her hand on his arm.

"Remus, I understand. You're not a monster. You're none of those things. But I understand. It's the middle of a war and we just can't do this right now. But, none of that means I can't do this." Tonks smiled, pressing her lips against his. It's a kiss full of passion, care, and love.

Love.

He almost forgets what it's like to be loved.

He hasn't been loved since his parents died.

Mainly because he's never allowed himself to love.

He tells himself he's a monster, he can never love, no one would ever love him, but here Tonks is kissing him with more love than he's ever felt before.

When they break apart, the gaze into each other's eyes fondly. Knowing that they won't ever be together.

* * *

After Sirius dies, she starts falling more for Remus, relieving just how much time they might have left. They could die any day now.

He rejects her feelings, as if that night never happened.

She falls depressed, although he tells her to stop wasting her time on him.

After the events of Battle of the Astronomy Tower, they finally get together.

A few months later, they're married with a baby on the way.

And on 2 May 1998, they are happily together in the afterlife.


End file.
